Salad with Smoked Turkey

This easy and delicious salad with smoked turkey is filled with other goodies like cherry tomatoes, shredded cheddar, and creamy avocado and makes a filling and satisfying lunch or light dinner.

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I don’t know about you, but I often skip lunch and eat an early dinner — like 3:00 p.m. early. Putting that in writing feels slightly embarrassing, but it works for my schedule and means that any time I make a salad, it will likely be my biggest meal of the day. I love having them for dinner as long as they have lots of ingredients, as this salad with smoked turkey does. Like my earlier post for blue cheese salad, I was also inspired to make this smoked turkey “ensemble” by one I’d ordered from my favorite lunch place when I lived and worked in NYC.

I’d always ask for smoked turkey, which gave the salad a bacon-like vibe, and I tossed in cherry tomatoes for acidity and cheddar, chickpeas, and avocado for creaminess. Even though I think all-veggie salads are great, I prefer the heartier ones, especially if they will be my primary meal for the day. With a main protein and some good texture and flavors to round it out, a salad can be just as satisfying as a more traditional meal.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Dijon Mustard
• Dried Oregano
• Garlic Powder
• Honey
• Dried Thyme
• Mesclun (or any assorted greens or lettuce)
• Smoked Turkey
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Avocado
• Chickpeas
• Cheddar Cheese
• Red Onion

Pro Tips

You can make the salad beforehand: Leave out the avocado and dressing until you’re ready to eat it.

Try to buy a thick slab of smoked turkey: Deli-style, thinly cut turkey is fine (it’s what I used in the image above), but it’s even better if you can get it cut into a thick slab and dice it into cubes for a meatier salad.

Suggestions for Variations and Substitutions

• Replace the smoked turkey with regular turkey, regular or smoked chicken, or even regular or smoked salmon (If you choose salmon or any other fish, you may want to swap out the cheddar for a better pairing cheese like feta.)
• Use any beans you like. Butter beans are a good choice.
• Add more colorful veggies like shredded carrots and diced cucumbers.
• Use any cheese you like: Feta, blue cheese, or cubed mozzarella are all good choices.

Leftovers

Although salads are always best when eaten fresh, store any leftovers that have no dressing in an airtight container for no more than one to two days. If there’s any avocado left behind, I recommend either finishing it or removing it from the salad because it might turn brown. If the salad already has dressing on it, I don’t suggest letting it sit in the fridge for more than one day, and even then, it will turn a little soggy.

For more salad ideas, try this delightfully creamy blue cheese salad.